Proviso Twp HSD 209 reviews budget and contracts, hears concerns about Maywood TIF; school improvement team outlines instructional goals

The Proviso Township High School District 209 Board of Education met Sept. 9 and heard public comment about a proposed Maywood tax-increment financing plan, received a detailed presentation on the district's new school improvement department and instructional priorities, and considered multiple administrative and fiscal motions, including a fiscal-year 2026 budget proposal and several contract and personnel items.

Claudia Vandiver, who identified herself as an adult educator and family medicine physician and said she is a long‑term Maywood resident, told the board she is preparing materials raising community concern about a village plan to create a tax‑increment financing (TIF) district. "If Maywood doesn't pay their fair share, who's gonna pay the difference?" Vandiver said. She said the village TIF, if enacted, could prevent Maywood from contributing the same level of property‑tax revenue to Proviso Township schools for up to 23 years and that other municipalities in the township would face higher burdens. Her remarks were delivered during the public‑comment portion of the meeting.

The board received an informational presentation from Dr. Kermis, the district's deputy for school improvement, who outlined the new school improvement department's staffing and goals. Dr. Kermis described a multi‑member team responsible for aligning district systems, building leadership capacity and supporting instruction. She summarized an early instructional cycle that asks every teacher to implement learning objectives and daily formative checks and said the district's short‑term goal is for teachers to reach a level‑3 proficiency on the district guidance tool for those practices. "This is not easy work. If it was, we would have figured it out already," Dr. Kermis told the board.

Deputy Superintendent for Academics Alex Ashoff briefed…